Physiological effects of acupuncture in the anaesthetic time

Introduction: Traditional chinese (Chinese) medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest medical systems in the world. It hypothesizes the existence of many points in the way of channels, where the vital energy (Qi) flows. These points have therapeutic actions and many of them can be used in the anaesthetic time to improve the perioperative patient management. Materials and methods: A bibliographic research was conducted to identify the evidence based of acupuncture benefits during the anaesthetic time and the physiological mechanisms implicated in these actions. Results and discussion: The main areas where acupuncture showed evidence based benefits during the anaesthetic time were anxiety,sedation, hypnosis, analgesic requirements and nausea and vomiting. Almost all these actions are mediated by the nervous system and chemical substances such as endogenous opioids and some neurotransmitters. Despite the great knowledge it has been reached in this review on the basic mechanisms that explain actions of acupuncture during anaesthesia, more studies are needed to allow us to know in detail and precision the physiological mechanisms and the structures involved. Conclusion: The understanding of the mechanisms underlying the actions of acupuncture during anaesthesia has advanced greatly in recent years, however more studies are needed to identify them more precisely.